Previously on The Practice: Harland Bassett makes an ass out of himself and never wins a trial. Then he asks Eugene to help him with a case involving a drug company. Eugene complains about Harland's track record. He doesn't want to end up embarrassed if he does agree to help him with this case. Bobby asks for an update and then proceeds to get annoyed by Eugene's involvement. James Rebhorn guest stars as a top-notch civil litigation lawyer. The pharmaceutical company named in Harland's suit refuses to deal. Eugene finally agrees to help Harland after he meets the young girl, Annie Mullen, whose liver failed as a result of the antibiotics
The Firm Where They Prove The Existence Of Pain. Jimmy "The Lump Before Time" Berluti explains to the Mullens that the hardest part about their case is actually proving that the drug caused Annie's liver to fail. Mr. Mullen wants to know if they have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Eugene "A Harland In Time Saves Nine" Young replies, "No. That's the criminal standard. The burden here is the preponderance of the evidence." Mrs. Mullen wants to know where Harland is hiding. Eugene brings her back on course; he doesn't believe they're going to win the trial. The goal is to do well enough to ensure that Hayden Laboratories settles. Then he gets up to check on Harland, who is in the bathroom and looks like ten miles of bad road. That's ten miles of pot-holed, greased down, lines faded, cracked-up backyard cottage road. He's splashing water on his face and staring at himself in the mirror. Harland: "Could you take the meeting?" Eugene snaps back, "Take the meeting? It's a pretrial. They want to talk to you." Harland "The Thin Hair Line" Bassett isn't feeling too well. The Harmony Of Hapless Harland hopes to restore some of the man's dignity as he explains to Eugene that he thinks he's having an anxiety attack. His brow is sweaty. His remaining hair is disheveled, and his eyes look tired. Eugene wants to know if he should tell the Mullens to wait. Harland turns around: "No." Pause. Harland: "I'm okay." As he walks toward the door, Harland grabs his chest, exclaims, "Can't get air!" and then falls flat on his face. Eugene is rushing to his side as we wind up and into the credits.
Okay. I will gladly endure the hell of these credits if the journalists of the world over would finally agree to stop talking about Rene Zellweger and the weight she gained/lost for Bridget Jones's Diary. Enough is enough already.
The Hospital, Emergency Pain. The doctor wants to run one more test on poor ol' Harland. His heart is fine. They just want to make sure it was really an anxiety attack. The doctor says they can keep him overnight, but Harland has to leave; he's got a trial in six hours. Eugene and Jimmy are by his side. Eugene thinks they can probably get a continuance. Harland isn't so sure. The judge is a hard nut, and he said the last continuance is final. Eugene insists that this time he has a valid medical reason. Harland excites, "That's the problem!" Apparently, he was so underprepared for the trial that he faked a heart attack to get the last continuance. The judge said that if something goes wrong this time, another lawyer would have to try the case, because he's moving forward regardless. Eugene says Harland is the only one who can try the case. No one else knows the case well enough. It's decided, then: Harland will try the case. End of anxiety-attack drama. Jimmy just stands there looking lumpy as Harland starts ripping out tubes and asking Eugene to grab his pants.
Whoosh. The Firm. Bobby "The Emperor's New Move" Donnell asks if they're going forward. Eugene says that Harland claims he's ready. We see a nice shot of Bumbling Bassett through the doorway, working steadily on in the conference room. I'm imagining we're supposed to suspend our disbelief in thinking that he can't hear Bobby and Eugene talking about him. Oh, make that Bobby, Eugene, Ellenor, Lucy, and Jimmy talking about him and the case. Eugene asks Lucy about the exhibits. She tells him they've been delivered to the courthouse. Ellenor, the one on maternity leave who seems to get more lines than Rebecca, a woman who is not and has never been pregnant on the show, jokes, "Do you guys have any chance?" Rod insists that they settle the first chance they get. Don't worry. That's Eugene's plan. He doesn't want to be tied up in this any longer then he has to be. Harland approaches the group and says stolidly, "Are we ready." Eugene: "Ready." Harland: "All right." And then he walks away, looking like the Penguin from Batman Returns. Bobby gives Eugene a half stink-eye, because you know he can't stand anyone doing anything that doesn't involve him.
The Courthouse Of Drug-Related Pain And Suffering. Annie's pediatrician is on the stand. She's explaining how the young girl had a sinus infection that she (the doctor) first treated with a different antibiotic. When that didn't work, the doctor prescribed Reflexin. Harland clarifies, "Reflexin. This is also an antibiotic?" Correct. Moving on -- after taking the drug, Annie immediately went into acute liver failure, and she required two separate transplants. The lawyer asks if Reflexin caused the liver failure. The doctor answers that she can't state that for a medical certainty, but she can't think of any cause other than the Reflexin. Rebbie Rebhorn objects. Harland carries on as if he were a lark singing in the wind: "Now, Doctor, did you know that Reflexin was dangerous?" Rebbie restates his objection: there's no foundation. He's holding his pen in the air like he wants the teacher to call on him. He's a keener. The judge sustains. Harland asks the doctor, "What were your expectations regarding the safety of the antibiotic?" She was aware that it hadn't been tested on children, but neither are eighty percent of the drugs on the market today. Obviously, she didn't know it was that dangerous, or she wouldn't have prescribed it. Harland: "But this is an adult drug." Yes. But they have to prescribe adult drugs to children, because the pharmaceutical companies won't test them properly on children; the doctors don't have alternatives. Harland asks if many pediatricians prescribe adult drugs to children. The doctor says that they all do -- routinely. Then Harland The Herald Of Children Everywhere wants to know how the pediatrician heard about Reflexin. A drug sends out a rep, a "detail person," to promote the product. Harland: "Did this detail person say anything about the safety of Reflexin?" Wow. Harland is calm, cool, and totally in charge. He's not bumbling through his questions. He's not checking his notes a hundred times. He's not pissing off the judge. It's a miracle. The detail man didn't warn the doctor about the dangers in prescribing the drug to kids.